Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva ruled out of Manchester City game due to injury
Lucas Leiva missed a penalty for Liverpool against Manchester City during the League Cup final. (Source:Reuters)
Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva will miss the Premier League game against Manchester City after sustaining a muscular injury in Sunday’s League Cup final defeat by the same opponents, manager Juergen Klopp said on Tuesday.
Liverpool lost in a shootout at Wembley with the match ending 1-1 after extra time and Klopp wants his players to move on quickly.
“We can’t change what happened on Sunday by winning on Wednesday but we have to show that we are ready again,” the German told reporters ahead of the game at Anfield on Wednesday.
“We can use the final experience, maybe, in another final. We did a lot of good things, just not enough. We proved we are strong. Now we need to do this tomorrow.”
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Liverpool fell behind after goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was beaten at his near post by City’s Fernandinho and, not for the first time this season, Klopp defended the Belgium international.
“I would lie if I said the goal in the final was unstoppable but Simon knows this too. It is how it is,” he said.
“I’m not sure it’s a mistake but it was not perfect. And that’s how it is in a goalkeeper’s life.
“I can say nothing negative about Mignolet as a person… He’s old enough, he’s experienced enough and we have to go through it together.”
Liverpool are ninth in the table going into the game against fourth-placed City and the German said his team’s position meant he no longer had any interest in who wins the title.
“The title race for us is not really interesting. That is not the best news, but that is the truth,” he said.
Striker Daniel Sturridge, who suffered cramp on Sunday, and centre back Mamadou Sakho, who was substituted after clashing heads with team mate Emre Can, will be assessed.
